March 27, 2013

  • Review: More Battlestar Galactica

    Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome was a “special event” on the SyFy Channel and serves as a sort of prequel to the original series as it focuses on the first Cylon War.   Those familiar with Bear McCreary’s work in the series and its many specials and spin-offs will find that he continues to add new elements to the score for this latest release limited to 3000 units from La-La Land.

    “Dear Dad” begins with a more Asian-feel in its use of pitched mallet percussion repeating a 7-8 note motif.  This soon gives way to a bit of action music with taiko drumming and a variety of design elements along with electric guitar sounds, and a later ethnic flute idea.  The “original” Stu Phillips theme Battlestar Galactica is given a bit of an “update’ when it appears against the taiko drums in “The Galactica” and with a vocalise over the final bars.  There is certainly a more martial feel to the music with more acoustic percussion (“The Mission Begins”), even when it features longer lyrical lines or reflective moments (“Becca’s Past”) this sound is never far off.  The interesting melodic ideas in the score are among the highlights, often providing more emotional depth to the surrounding percussive moments.     The disc essentially shifts between these two elements throughout with often a bit more emphasis on the rock-like guitar elements.  Though in “The Last Battle of  the Osiris” this simply goes on for too long.  One of the nicer, gentler moments comes in the piano solo “Coker’s Interlude”, a sort of improvisatory piece of lyrical beauty in the midst of all the action.  The final track is the song “Apocalypse.”

    Fans of the previous Battlestar Galactica scores will certainly find more to enjoy here with the mix of thematic development, and a style that further explores the universe of this SyFy Channel reboot.  McCreary’s mix of ethnic instrumentation, with many of the same musicians he has worked with throughout the series, are on great display here coupled with a few new additions and interesting ambient and sound ideas.   At times though, it seems as if the music has to ratchet up sonically to compete with whatever is going on on-screen and that may put off some listeners, though those following the series will already be aware of this approach going in to the CD.